St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-16


place, admirably adapted in nearly every
particular for the practice of a scientific
as well as useful and fascinating sport.
Its location within few miles of this
city is advantageous, in that it gives the
opportunity for the assembling of
immense crowds to witness the con-
tests and thus supply the SinewS of war
to the association. which has to take the
financial risks of the meetings. But Of
late the public and most riflemen have
deserted the place, and where 10000
spectators used to assemble to watch
the firing, hardly more than ! per cent.
of this number can be seen OH the
grounds on the days of the most impor-
tant contest. And if it were not for the
enforced attendance of the National
guard, the members of which are COM
PEELED by law to practice at Creedmo0r,
there would not be present more than /
per cent. of the ritlemen who used to
battle iron targets with hot lead from
sunrise till dark.
The father of Creedmoor was Col.
Henry Shaw. New York newspaper
man, who talked and wrote about rifle
shooting until he made others as enthus-
iastic as himself. and finally brought
about the organization of club
and the establishment of a range on
Long Island. On farm near what is
known as Queens was a level piece
of ground or moor of seventy acres, adj
mirably adapted to the purpose, and
this was bought, mainly with money
given by the state of New York. Butts
were built and pits dug for markers.
The owner of the farm was Mr.. Creed,
and the rifemen named their range for
him, CreedmOOr. The National Rifle
association was formed in November,
1871, and the opening match was shot
on the 21St of June, 1875. The first
regular annual competition was held
from Oct. to Oct. u, 1878, and the
prizes were presented at the state
arsenal on the 18th of the same month.
j. o. Bush won the first 200-yard off
hand military rifle match with score
of sixteen out of a possible twenty, the
bulFs-eye then counting only four. The
was won by John Hitler, who made
fifteen points in five shots, possible
twenty. In these days it takes
aclean score at POO yards to win. The
18th of September, 1874, the first Irish
team arrived, and all the country went
wild over long range shooting. The
10th of May, in that year, j. S. COnlin
had made the first full score at 500 yards.
Until 1875 the targets had square BULBS
eyes, but in that year the circular Creed
moor target was introduced. :
For few years rifle shooting was
more popular than base ball. The long
range men developed unsupported pos
sibilities of the favorite American
weapon, and great improvements were
made in rifles, sights, ammunition and
paraphernalia of the range. The inter-
national contests were watched with
the keenest interest on both sides of
the ocean, and the scores and diagrams
of targets were sent by telegraph to all
the great newspapers, and published
as the biggest news matter of
the day. Teams from England, Scot
land and Ireland came over here to
shoot at Creedmoor, but they do not
come any more. The Palma prize, a
$4,000 trophy made in 1876, to be con-
tested for in international contests, lies
in Tiffany's vault, as useless and mean
ingless as the discarded bottom of a
worn out wash boiler. Beyond the OPP
portunities for recreation of desirable
character offered by Creedmoor, it has
produced many useful results. There
is no instinct more markedly progress
sive than that of the true sports
man. He practices his favorite pastime
purely for the love of it, and is alive to
every suggestion for its Improvement.
The healthy rivalry of sport is con-